Don't you just hate spoilers? I do, too. That's why I always try to include warnings. However, I sometimes ramble a bit too much here or there and maybe a few (or many) key plot points slip without me giving proper notice. So I'd like to include a blanket spoiler warning for the weary internet travelers of the world: Here There Be Spoilers. You've been warned.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 2 by Ishida Sui

"We can't crush evil with morals. We are justice. We are morality."

These are the words of Amon Kotaro, ghoul investigator. The words appears about a third or so into the book. Maybe closer to halfway. The statement is told to another investigator that refused to dig up what could have been a grave on the basis that doing so would have been immoral. Digging up this grave could have provided concrete proof that a certain character was indeed a ghoul. Not doing so, in the eyes of Mr. Amon, was an unforgivable dereliction of duty since the idea is to eradicate the ghouls.

Elsewhere, Kaneki Ken is getting more of a schooling in the ways of being a ghoul. He has to learn how to give the appearance of eating human food while in the presence of other humans. After taking a quick swallow of a sandwich, the idea is to pretend to chew about ten times while keeping a pleasant look on one's face. Then go to the restroom shortly after and regurgitate the food before it gets into their system. This is something that gives Ken fits. Appearing to enjoy food humans eat seems impossible to him and he admires the lengths that Touka and others go to do this.

With the investigators sniffing around it's advised that Ken gets fitted with a mask so that he can hide his identity if he comes face to face with an investigator in combat. Right now Ken can't even pass for a fighter. Outside of the incident in which Hide was attacked and Ken went crazy with rage, it doesn't seem possible for Ken to use his abilities with a clearhead. The idea of him being involved in combat still seems strange.

He's more or less the straight man spectator through which we see this story. The ghouls, despite being creatures that eat humans, are cast in a fairly favorable light. There are a few exceptions, but most of them are not "evil." Certainly, the mother and daughter pair that visit Anteiku don't seem evil. They aren't killers to Ken. But they eat humans because they are ghouls. So... how do they find the humans to eat?

Well, that's something Ken discovers while on a mission with Yomo. The mission is to do a "food run." Basically, these food runs allow Anteiku to feed ghouls who can't or won't go out and get their own food. That means Anteiku is the kind of organization right-leaning people-eating republicans would hate since they can't profit from it. Huzzah.

The mother and daughter ghouls in this volume lead to the biggest moment so far when the mother gets killed by the rather mad (and mad-looking) Ghoul Investigator Mado. Ken, helpless to do anything else, covers the eyes of the daughter while keeping both of them hidden.

After the encounter Touka, who hadn't been there to witness the event, goes off in a fit of rage and kills a ghoul investigator. Which isn't a good idea since this kind of thing could trigger an invasion of investigators into the 20th Ward.

But not even Touka can defeat Mado and his "quinque."

At this point, more or less, Ken decides he is tired of being weak and not knowing what to do. While some ghouls are not good, he doesn't believe that certain ghouls have to die just because humans don't like ghouls. He wants to fight back and learn how to use his kagune so he can protect the more innocent ghouls from getting killed.

And on this note his new mask gets delivered to him. Eye-patch, included.

Now for comparison to the anime: Of course, there's been no Jason ghoul. Not even a mention of him. The Gourmet ghoul has yet to make an appearance, but he has been mentioned once. Essentially, the anime is like scrambled eggs. There's parts of the first two volumes scattered throughout the first seven episodes. Which makes no sense. The anime introduces other stuff way too early just to meet the episode count. The way the story was changed for the anime certainly didn't make things any better.